Street Network
The City of Eureka has approximately 230 lane miles of streets, making it the city with the most street mileage in Humboldt County. Streets provide mobility for not only motorists but for cyclists and pedestrians as well. Neither public transportation nor the movement of goods and services would be possible without a system of well-maintained streets. In 2022 it was estimated that the cost to replace the entire city road network would be more than $250 million.
The Public Works Street Paving and Maintenance Program (PWSPMP) maintains City streets through various street rehabilitation treatment types, such as grinding and paving and pavement preservation. Street surfaces must be routinely maintained, renewed, and resurfaced to extend the service life of the pavement by applying the proper treatment type, depending on its current condition.
The PWSPMP is dedicated to keeping the streets in good condition for all users and making improvements strategically and efficiently to ensure safer, smoother, and longer-lasting streets to support the City's multi-modal transportation system.
Managing and Tracking Street Conditions in Eureka
The City uses a Pavement Management Program called StreetSaver®, to systematically organize and analyze immense amounts of inspection data about the condition of our street pavement. StreetSaver® was developed for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission of the Bay Area-based on asset management concepts that help identify cost‐effective strategies for pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. Having a Pavement Management Program (PDF) in place is a requirement for many sources of federal and state grants.
Inspecting Street Conditions in Eureka
Approximately every five years, the City inspects each street to assess the condition of the pavement. During a typical inspection, a trained Materials Engineering Technician heads to a selected City street, determines a representative pavement section, and evaluates a list of defined pavement distresses. Additionally, specialized vehicles will perform automated surveys on higher traffic volume areas. On asphalt roads, the inspector typically looks for and quantifies the extent of alligator cracking, block cracking, distortions, longitudinal and transverse cracking, patching, rutting, depressions, weathering, and raveling (see example photos below). The inspection data is later entered into StreetSaver® which allows calculations about the condition of the roadway to be performed.
